Why Do I Need A Comp On A 9mm? | Gun Guy Thoughts

Since I have been working on this Roland Special series recently, many of you have asked why I need a comp on a Glock 19. You ask if the recoil is too much or point out that it can direct gasses back at the shooter. Well, the truth is, I don’t need a compensator on a 9mm, I want one.

There is a large difference between need and want before you keyboard warriors out there get dem typing fingers warmed up.

Why would I want something that internet gun wisdom says is a liability? Just reading through the comments on the video post “Comps Won’t Get You Killed” not only nearly gave me cancer, but they were full of that aforementioned internet wisdom. I’ll just lay out some bullet points covering some of my favorite nuggets of internet wisdom below.

It’s just another hole to get dirt in.

It will destroy your night vision.

The compensator will throw unburnt powder and debris into your eyes and blind you.

It’s louder than a bare muzzle.

A modified carry gun will get you convicted of premeditated murder. (This one is my personal favorite.)

I don’t think I have the patience to address every one of the complaints that I saw in the comments, but I will touch on the few favorites I listed above and give you my personal thoughts on them. Granted I have not done real, scientific testing to back up my feels, but there is plenty of real world use by guys and gals that rely on their sidearm for some reasonably dangerous jobs that cause most of us to poop our pants on a daily basis to rely on for data.

It’s just another hole for dirt to get into. – A bit of dirt or debris in the port of a compensator isn’t going to induce a malfunction. If anything the first shot will clear the ports, and the comp will function normally. Keep in mind, as you are carrying your gun in a reasonably good holster and not something ridiculous like Versa Carry, the holster should keep the gun free of debris.

It will destroy your night vision. – A normal bare muzzle has just as much of a chance of destroying your night vision. Several videos on the internet have been made by people that are knowledgeable and trustworthy showing the exact same compensator that I used in the testing being fired under complete darkness as well as with night vision. The results? No adverse effects on night vision.

The compensator will throw unburnt powder and debris into your eyes and blind you. – Every person that made this comment should take a step back and think for a moment. Have you ever carried a revolver? Maybe even tried shooting one from retention? That cylinder gap does a wonderful job of spitting some pretty nasty debris and unburnt powder out at you. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is worse than the compensator due to how far the cylinder gap is from the muzzle. On most comped semi-autos, the ports are far enough from the chamber to allow the powder to get a more complete burn than on a revolver in my humble opinion.

It’s louder than a bare muzzle. – Sure, it might be a touch louder. But stop and think about it, is a few decibels over the 170-180 dB that a bare muzzle normally runs really going to suck that much more? No, it isn’t. I have had cause to shoot a bare muzzle Glock 19 without ears while hunting and have been at the range with friends when they have shot my KKM 4-Port comp without me having ears on. Both suck about equally. Neither is ideal.

A modified carry gun will get you convicted of premeditated murder. – Come on. This is just pure gun shop stupidity. I ask that someone provide a case where an otherwise righteous self-defense shooting resulted in a conviction of any kind because the gun used was modified. Not only has this myth been dispelled by experts in the concealed carry field such as Massad Ayoob, but lawyers have frequently commented on the subject stating that there is simply no evidence of this. Stop being dumb, internet.

Now that we have touched on some of the main complaints that some of our esteemed commenters have made let’s move onto why I would want one. Simply put, it makes me faster. No, I don’t anticipate getting into a gun fight with the great Jerry Michulek or Rob Letham. Why wouldn’t I take every advantage I possibly can? While on a square range the pistol is a joy to shoot, transitioning between targets is significantly faster and follow up shots are also faster. Some people say that it shouldn’t be needed, I counter that I want the advantage. Why would I not use every angle and advantage if faced with a potentially deadly and all around crappy situation? As pro-sportsballer Joe Montana said, if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t trying.

While talking with a colleague, I made the comment that the resistance to comps and ported barrels on carry guns is very much like the resistance to red dots on a carry gun a few years back. Sure there are some older, nonprogressive types that still refuse to see the potential of the red dotted pistol, but many have relaxed their stance to seriously consider it.

Hopefully, this clears things up. I don’t need a compensator or ported barrel on my carry gun, I want one.